Baylor Varner established himself as one of the 13th Region’s best young pitchers in the 13th Region with a couple of big wins earlier this month.
Luke Luttrell may have joined the same group Monday as he tossed a three-hitter in the Dragons’ 8-2 win over visiting Bell County. Luttrell, an eighth-grade left-hander, struck out nine and walked three as he pitched a complete game.
“It’s good to get a district win. Luke pitched lights out again. He got a little roughed up (by his standards) in the first inning. That lit a fire in his belly and he took control from that point forward,” Harlan coach Lee Freyer said. “There was a lot of youth on that ball field tonight. (Bell) coach (Clay) Carroll and I were talking about it before the game. The future is bright for both schools. I believe we are blessed with the youth that we have and the experience also. We don’t have many upperclassmen, but the ones we do have are great leaders. They’ve been patient with the youngsters and continue to take them under their wing. They hold them accountable and lead by example.”
Eli Freyer, also an eighth-grader, led the Harlan offense with two singles. Jared Moore, Matthew Nunez, Aiden Johnson and Varner added one hit each. Moore drove in two runs, while Jake Brewer, Varner, Freyer, Nunez and Johnson added one RBI each for the 10-10 Dragons.
“Eli was making solid contact again tonight. He’s been working hard making the adjustment to high school pitching. It’s good to see the extra swings paying dividends,” Freyer said. “Aiden Johnson got a good hit tonight also. He had been struggling a little at the plate. I’m happy for him. Defensively, we played a good game. Those plays don’t show up in the box score unless you don’t make them. Bell County did a good job putting the ball in play early.
“Jae’dyn played well in center field. He’s beginning to take more control of the outfield. Some balls in the gap he got a good jump on and took priority on. That’s something we’ve been stressing with him.”
Jackson Walters led the 3-17 Bobcats with a double and single. Holden Clark added one single. Blake Burnett pitched a complete game for Bell, with four strikeouts and four walks.
The teams return to action Tuesday at Bell County.
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Bell County 200 000 0 — 2. 3. 3
Harlan 004 004 x — 8. 6. 1
Burnett and Walters; Luttrell and Owens. WP — Luttrell (3-1). LP — Burnett.